5/10 - Happy Mother's Day to my mother, Carol and all the other mothers reading this post. Kim-Kim woke up a happy little girl, like she always does. We did the usual breakfast and met at 9:30 for today's adventures. The bus took 4 families plus Mary Clare (Finnegan's stayed back with Eva) to the Folk Arts Museum. There were lots of exhibits like tea, gardens, porcelain, china, woodcarving, ivory, brick carving and embroidery. Our little girl rode in the stroller the whole time. Each family went their own way and then we met up in the courtyard again. Next stop was the pearl market; it was at a crowded shopping center with multi-floors of jewelry vendors. Zhou knows the area and already had a reputable and inexpensive pearl store picked out for us to visit. The booths were small and the aisles were narrow, but we navigated with four strollers and set out to shop. The pearls were sold by the strand and we could design the piece of jewelry that we wanted - a necklace, a longer necklace or a doubled up bracelet. In the middle of picking out pieces Jie-Jie, the new little Harp daughter, cut her thumb on something and it bled and bled and bled. Sharon, her mom, is a nurse and pulled out the first aid kit to bandage it up. A little bit later in the day she took her to the Children's Hospital where they cleaned it and wrapped it again without stitches. While we were at the mall, Zhou also took us to an electronics store for needed computer supplies. Somewhere between pearls and computers Kim-Kim fell asleep in the stroller. She slept on the bus back to the hotel and we had a late lunch of noodles while the other kids were napping. Dan was working on a headache and he decided he needed a nap, so I took the little one out shopping. We had some girl-girl time. I bought a bunch of stuff that will hopefully mean something to her when she gets older. I bought her squeaky shoes for now. We went back to the room, woke Dad up and tried the shoes out in the hallway. It is a Chinese thing; they put squeakers in the heels of the kid shoes. When the child steps they squeak. She also got a jingle bell that I put around her arm. She loved the noises that she made walking up and down the hallway. We still had time before dinner so I grabbed the camera and we went for a walk. There was a small park/playground nearby. The trees and greenery were beautiful. Families come to this area just to hang on and enjoy themselves all day be playing badmittin, hacky-sack, skateboard or whatever. A lot of weddings have been taking place and brides come to this area for photos. Weddings take place at any time through out the week, depending on when the lunar calendar says it is lucky for the bride and groom. Kim-Kim stayed in the stroller and was happy to take in the sights. Dad met up with us in the park and we hit another store, Jordan's, for more baby toys for the plane ride back. We tried to pick out soft stuff without multiple pieces - in case they get thrown. We also bought her a Chinese flag and Chinese songs on CD. Next we found a stroller similar to the one from the hotel. Dan would have paid full price, but I was able to barter them down. That was our only real big purchase so far. Back to Lucy's we went for dinner without the baby bag. We managed, but gotta remember that in the future! We didn't have time to walk by the river or shop on the way back because the girls had an appt at 9:00 pm for massages. All of the shops believe in staying open late - even on a Sunday. Kim-Kim got to play in the tub again tonight and then we put her in the crib for bedtime. That wasn't her idea of bedtime so she started with tears. After a few minutes she went to bed with Dan and was out before we could say Boo. I headed down for my massage and we walked to the professional medical building about 5 minutes away. All of the girls and Zhou sat on a stool with our feet in a bucket of stuff fully clothed in a group room. The guys came in and worked on our upper backs, shoulders, neck, lower back and arms. Then they did a whole lot of pulling and stretching. It felt good, but was hard to relax with a knee in my back. Then we sat in recliners and they worked on our feet and lower legs. That was the best part! The whole massage was $100 yeun ($15 USD), included tip and lasted 1-1/2 hours. We walked back to the hotel at 11:00 pm Sunday night and stores were still open. Everybody was sound asleep back in the room when I crawled into bed for a good night's sleep.

5/9 - Our first full day in Guangzhou ended better than it started. Kim-Kim woke up on her own (happily) at 8:00 and we went down to breakfast to meet the other families. She ate some breakfast and then got a much needed bath. An hour later we met in the lobby to head out on our morning jaunt. The passport photos and medical exam were within walking distance. Kim sat in the chair and looked at the camera, but didn't smile for her picture. Of course she smiles for the camera all the time in the room when it is just us. We waited around while Zhou finished some paperwork and bought her a cute little light up toy to keep her happy. We also found a local fish/seafood store that sold everything LIVE. She was getting discontented at waiting and decided to start roaming. When I picked her up the screaming started again - all the way to the medical exam area (1/4 mile). It wasn't a terrified scream, but a mad "I want down" scream. It was only half tears and not as bad as last night's episode at the airport. I held her till we got to the building and would not let her go. She finally settled and was put down. During the medical exam, she had to go to three stations - height & weight, physical exam, and ENT. She cried and screamed through all of it; everybody did, too. She weighs 25.8 lbs and is 33" tall. (I think, hard to remember with no nerves left.) On the way back to the hotel, we let her walk at her own pace and life was good. STROLLER. We asked the hotel if we could use a stroller for the next few days and they brought one up. She ate some apple, Apple Jacks and cookie in the room for lunch and then took a three hour nap while Daddy fixed the computer. I put her down in the crib and shut all the lights off and she was out. Our hotel is on a small island that is part of Guangzhou, the fifth largest city in China. The island is beautiful with plenty of local shopping. We walked out of the hotel and there were small shops up and down every street that sell all kinds of Chinese souveniers from trinkets to jade and t-shirts to silk comonos. We stopped in three and I bought a little bit everywhere I went. It is hard to decide what to buy because the price is in yeun. $6.75 yeun equals $1 USD. A $200 price tag seems like a lot, but it is really only $30 USD. A salesperson follows you around the entire time and they are truly into sales. You have to ask how much and barter from there. If you put it down they will come down on their price. I heard "last one, make you good deal" a few times today. I headed back to the room with my purchases and to give Dan a break. He had it all under control; the little bug was still sleeping. I took my notebook of important papers and headed down to our meeting with Zhou at 4:30. We filled out papers and papers and papers for the US Embassy appt. Have you ever read the Paper Reduction Act Statement on the bottom of every government form? It's kind of funny. Anyways after papers we walked to Lucy's Bar & Grill for dinner with the stroller. YUM and great idea! I know I will sound American, but that was some of the best food I have had this whole trip: sweet and sour rice on the patio next to the river. It was supposed to be sweet and sour chicken, but the little one decided my chicken was better than Dad's french fries and sandwich. All five families went with their children and we pulled enough tables together to eat as a group outside. As nighttime rolled in, the lights lit up in the trees, on the river and across the river. The atmosphere was similar to the islands (without the drunks) and we both enjoyed it very much. We took a stroll along the river (without a railing) with Kim in the stroller. She likes the stroller better than being carried and was quiet, so we thought she was getting tired. We headed back to the room and she got another bath and played some. Of course, the thought of her being tired was a joke. She was probably just overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and people. Back in the room she was jumping, giggling and playing hard. She tried to crawl in the stroller a few times in the room - this could be a problem. Lights out at 9:00 and she was no where near ready for bed tonight. We layed her down in bed and she wiggled off the end, over top of us, twisted around and did everything but go to sleep. Dan has also nicknamed her the Alabama Red Wiggler (aka worm). After five minutes I had enough and put her in the crib to settle down. When I turned the lights on ten minutes later, she was quiet but standing up in the crib watching Dan sleep. I picked her up and brought her to bed where she finally was out. Even though I enjoy shopping for me, a lot of this is for her. We want to buy her stuff from China, as part of her heritage, to give to her when she is older. We want her to always know where she came from. That is one of the reasons I am trying to be so detailed in this blog. When she is 16 she can read about the trip and her country and I hope it will mean something to her. The shopping thing is what I told Dan. :)

5/8 - We made it to Guanzhou late last night and went to bed about 11:30. The little one had a BIG day - wasn't all good, but it was big. We started out with a big breakfast and went back to the room to play a little. Dan was busy packing so I had babysitting duty. Qin-Qin loves to spin around and be thrown up in the air. She laughs and giggles and says something that means "do it again" (I think). When we slowed down and she realized there were suitcases packed and the room didn't look the same, she went back to "stress mode". We tried some lunch in the room, which ended when all she did was throw apple pieces and Apple Jacks at Dan. I suggested a long nap in case she does not fall asleep on the plane. Good idea! She slept peacefully for 3 hours with Daddy at her side. After we woke her up there was more play time, but no kids left in the playroom. She likes to push buttons and see things lights up. All of the toys in the playroom had their batteries removed so they weren't much fun. The computer and the remote control are lots of fun, so is the hands free button on the phone. At 5:00 we checked out and went down for an early dinner. Five nights in a five star hotel was around $300 total, with the adoptive family discount. Qin-Qin ate spaghetti, ham, french fries and fried rice. When we were finished Vickie was waiting for us wearing a Wrangler t-shirt. She said Wrangler jeans are very expensive in China. We laughed and said Dan wears them all the time. It was a quiet trip to the airport and we checked in about 1-1/2 hours before our flight. The luggage came in under the weight limit, so I could have shopped some more, but was saving myself for Guanzhou. We met another couple from HI that was also waiting for our flight. They had adopted a 10 month old little girl that was napping. Qin and I roamed all around the terminal and checked in with Daddy every 10 minutes. She was happy and laughing, but shy around the Chinese ladies that tried to talk to her. Somewhere in the waiting period she decided to throw a screaming/hitting/throwing tantrum for about 10 minutes. It was the kind of screaming that makes everybody in the airport look. She finally came around and we were embarassed and scared of what the flight would bring. We were one of the last to board and luckily our seats were in the back of the plane. I held her while the plane took off and Dan was armed with all of the toys and cereal. The plane went up and came down an hour later with no issues. We headed to baggage claim and I picked her up and it all started again. I put her down and it stopped. She does not want to be contained at times. Zhou was waiting for us and we piled into the van to pick up the Harp family, too. Qin-Qin made faces over the seat at Shu-Shu and Jie-Jie, their two little girls, and ran around some in the lobby. We got to our room about 11 with no naps and the little one wide awake. We had to shut all the lights off and lay down with her till she fell asleep. Then we got up, showered and unpacked and headed to bed a little before 12. The five families we started with are all back together and we'll meet up in the morning for breakfast. It'll be interesting to see how she interacts with kids her age. We are her fourth family in less than two years, so I understand why she has some behavior issues. Together, with time and faith, I believe we will get through to her and she will love and trust us and much as we do her.

5/7 - Another day of the same - except hotter and more humid. 83 degrees here feels like 95 at the World Show in Tulsa, OK. We were sweating when we stepped off the elevator this morning, before we even went outside. Last night was a good night for Qin-Qin. She was a quiet sleeper till about 5:00 this morning when she decided to kick both of us out of bed and sleep sideways on all of the pillows. What a Princess! She ate a good breakast full of congee, fruit and apple juice. Dan and I stuck to the bacon, sausage, pancakes, pork dumplings, steamed buns, fried rice and a little fruit, too. We met Vickie about 10 and headed to a local park. The park was like a metropark and a fair mixed together. It was large, green and full of people just relaxing. It was filled with concrete areas for tai chi, trees, bushes, flowers, ponds and carnival games and rides. I saw some birds that looked like our sparrows and some that looked larger than a mockingbird. I tried to get pictures, but they were always hiding in the trees. There was a small wading pool filled with goldfish where the kids were allowed to fish, while adults fished in the larger ponds. We let Qin-Qin play in the bouncy game and she looked lost. There were other kids that tried to play with her and she didn't know what to do. She bounced around a little on the edge but mostly waited for us to pick her up. We headed back to the car and went to the embroidery factory. The pieces here are beautiful! The workers embroider small and large portraits that look like oil paintings until you see them up close. Some of the big ones took 1-2 years and were $1-$2 mil yeun ($150,000-$300,000 USD). This province is known for their tiger embroidery. The eyes of the tiger are supposed to follow you where ever you go due to the different color silk threads that they use. It was a short tour and small factory. We had tears (and screams) from Qin for the first time on our way out. Back at the hotel we tried some rice, apple and pear for lunch and she told us that she was not hungry by spitting it all out. She went off to the play area and then down for a 2 hour nap. After she woke, we played some more in the room and went to the play area again. She interacted with the 5-6 year old girl that she met yesterday. They were both talking to each other. Qin definately looked up to the girl, followed her around and let herself be picked up. She looked like a lost little soul when she looked back at us; it was a sad look. Qin had a snack when she woke up and ate like a horse at dinner. We tried the dinner buffet for the first time tonight. OMG. I pretty much stuck to dinner rolls, fried rice and pork dumplings. The food looked incredible and was beautifully prepared, but I wasn't in the mood for duck neck, duck feet, octopus, baby squid, turtle, snake or frog legs. I'm sure I missed some, but you can get the picture. Qin does not like green beens (my girl), honeydew melon or deep fried fish. She does like noodles, pasta and grapes For desert she tried some ice cream, which was a definite NO, I think because it was cold. We are trying to figure out her likes and dislikes since she didn't come with a manual. We headed back to the room for a bath and some shut eye. Tomorrow will be her trip to the airport and first big plane ride. Lucky for us it is only 1.25 hours long - a good preparation for the big one next week. We are getting cabin fever and ready to move on, but we must wait for her passport to be finalized tomorrow before we can leave this area.

5/6 - "Boo" means "no" in Chinese and Kim-Kim heard it three times today. When she tried to hit a girl in the playroom the girl said it back to her and she stopped. We took note. When she tried to hit Dan's glasses off of his face she was told "Boo" on two different occassions. That stopped that behavior on the spot. They made nice and she was laughing at him within a minute. Some of that may have come from another restless night. It was better than the first night by far. She went down good and slept until 2 or 3 and then started the shakes and woke up around 3 in a good mood and wanting to play. We had her up for a bit and then laid down again. I'm not sure what time she quit playing and when the shakes started again, but that is how we woke up this morning around 7. Dan and I took an hour to ourselves and then woke her up around 8 for the usual morning start of breakfast. She didn't eat a ton and was distracted by what was going on around her. We met Vickie at 10 for a tour of Yuelu Academy, over 1000 years old and no longer a teaching institute. It is the temple where Confuscious taught and stayed. The gardens are beautiful and very peaceful for meditation. Kim-Kim walked part of the way and Dan carried her the rest. Today was the first time she would walk with us hand in hand. By the way, she is not really responding to Kim-Kim or Qin-Qin either. After a brief tour we hit the store for some more nipples and bibs. In the car she seemed a little stressed; we don't know why, but her fist was in her mouth. On the way back to the hotel You-Know-Who fell asleep - probably the reason she was unsettled. We decided to take a nap before lunch today and figured it would all wash out at the end. The nap was as peaceful as could be; no signs of shakes. After a two hour nap we headed down to lunch to find out they were closed. We headed back to the room to raid the fridge and found housekeeping locked out of our room. All of a sudden our keys didn't work either. Three men with laptop computers and one with a suit were finally able to put it back together again in 45 minutes. Little girl ended up getting a late lunch, but she ate a lot on the bedroom floor. She and I went to the playroom for a bit to give Dad a break. She half played with the other kids. She half shared and half took and did a lot of talking. Two older girls showed up, maybe 6-7 years old, and she followed them around the floor. Kim-Kim got in somebody's space and hit the other girl's arm. That girl gave her a firm BOO and it was over. Everybody split up and went their own ways for dinner. We opted for a quick walk around outside after rush hour and a late dinner. She looked at the people and sites outside and the fist went back in the mouth. After Dan's arm got tired, I tried to take her. She wiggled and whined and Daddy took her back. He is definitely her security blanket! We stopped at the restaurant for fried rice with vegetables for her and sandwiches for us. It turned out the other way around when the food came. She liked my ham and french fries with ketchup and I ate some of her fried rice. The waitress boxed up what was left of the fried rice and back to the room we went for some quiet time. Tonight's bath was a piece of cake and we added a hair wash, too. She played around with the books before 9:00 bedtime. She doesn't look at the pictures and really isn't interested in hearing me read; it is more fun just to turn the pages. Today was a relatively quiet day. What you can't see, but we know is here, is the progress we make every day. There still haven't been any tears while she is awake, but I'm sure she is crying inside when she sleeps. She is a happy child and laughs very easily. She clings to us when there are crowds and readily looks to us for comfort. There is a lot of eye contact and touching on our part and she is starting to reciprocate. It may not sould like much, but we know it is there.

5/5 - Did I tell you that she is BEAUTIFUL? She has a full head of hair, cowlick on the top of her crown, thick eyebrows, long eyelashes, soft brown eyes, button nose and the cutest little smile! Last night was ROUGH, to say the least. Yesterday's post ended with a couple nightmares. Those continued all night long and got stronger and longer. In her sleep she would roll her head back and forth and flail both arms and legs. Many times we got it in the face or stomach. She started in bed with us with a bottle. We carressed her back and front to no avail. Dan picked her up, held her and walked the room for an hour. It continued off and on in his arms. At one point when she was quiet he woke her up. It continued after she went back to sleep. He put her in the crib for the remainder of the night and it still continued. Once she was in the crib I got some sleep; I think Dan stayed awake all night with her. The books have said this is all part of the grieving process, but we feel awful for putting her through this. Early to rise and off to breakfast. I put food on the plate for everybody and Dan fed. I don't think he ate much himself, but she had a full breakfast of congee (hot rice cereal), rice, appricot, banana and apple juice. Vickie was waiting for us in the lobby and we headed back to the Adoption Center to finalize the paperwork. At one point there was an exchange of words between Vickie and the Notary Official. The Chinese people have a different way of working with each other - everybody is in a hurry and they push to the front of the line. What we would perceive as rude is routine here, but nobody takes it personal. They can have an arguement and walk away laughing about it. The notary's fee was $350 USD and we only had $100 bills. Our version of the story is that he said, "too bad, get me a $50 or I'll keep $400". The same thing happened to some of the other couples we found out later in the waiting room. Vickie ended up going to the bank next door to make change and took care of everything. We answered some questions, had a family picture and that paperwork is final. When we came back Dan jumped on the computer and I took her to the playroom. There was an older girl, about 7 that was on a bike and riding up and down the halls. Kimberly took off running after the girl, who was also adopted this week. The girl spoke some Chinese and so did Kim-Kim. She was not interested in sharing toys when we went back to the playroom. Everything the other girl had, she tried to take away. We've been playing with nicknames for her and she doesn't always respond to Qin-Qin. I'm guessing that we are not saying it with the correct tone. She seems to look at us when we call her Kim-Kim, but maybe it's in my head. For now, that is what we are calling her. I think a night of restless sleep was catching up to her and Dan. He took her down to buy some steamed rice for lunch and brought it back to the room. She had a mini breakdown in the restaurant while they were waiting. Back in the room, she ate a little and started throwing the rest at Dan so we said time for a nap. She had a long restful sleep of 3 hours with no terrors; so did he. About 4 we woke her up and played in the room. We ventured out for a walk to the local Wacko store - a mini supermarket. I took some pictures of the people, street and hotel. She was heavy in Dan's arms, but the sidewalks were too busy to put her down. In between people, there were bikes and scooters weaving in and out. Vickie said Changsha is considering outlawing motorcycles. Instead they use electric scooters here. Vickie also told us that the Hunan Province is famous for the spicy style of food. The girls here are called spicy girls because they usually have a temper and are strong willed. At the store I bought some noodle bowls (which are spicy) to mix in the hotel room. We wandered back to the hotel and walked around the shopping areas. The hotel and night lights remind us of Vegas. We stopped back in the playroom for some pictures and then our room for dinner. She ate most of the steamed rice, 1/2 banana, some cereal and some cut up noodles - which she loved. There have been a couple of wet diapers, but nothing else. We've been told she is potty trained, which means she poops in the squatty-potty, but only when they hold her over it after breakfast. Since nothing has happened from that end, I tried to hold her over the western-style potty. She got the scared look again so we switched to a bath. This time we put her in the empty tub and let her play with some bath toys. That's where it happened. After a cleanup and she was comfortable in the tub Dan turned the water on slowly. She splashed around in the tub and had a good time. She let me bathe her, but we haven't tried to wash her hair yet. Pajamas and a few good books and she was asleep 30 minutes later. I read to her, but she really thought it was more fun to turn the pages on the book and look at the pictures. We haven't figured out a common language yet, but we are communicating on some level. For a little girl that speaks no english, she really is easy to read. The day was successful and we are growing stronger as a family. She was much more accepting of me, but still can't take her eyes off of Dad. If he gives her a funny face, she breaks out in laughter. We believe that we made the right decision to adopt from China and that this little girl was meant for us.

5/4 - Happy Gotcha Day to Kimberly and Happy Birthday to Me! Don't ask me how, but we got more sleep last night than in Beijing - even on a hard bed. I think we both decided to stop worrying about it; since we can't predict or change anything now. What will be will be. And so it was. We woke up early and baby-proofed the room then headed down to breakfast which was as good as Beijing - missing the EAC company. We did meet 4 other couples with babies that are staying on the same floor of the hotel. Vickie, our local guide, met us in the lobby at 10:00 and drove us to the local Adoption Center. We arrived 10 minutes before Qin-Qin (Cheen-Cheen) or Kimberly, not sure yet what we are going to call her. We were in a small room with 4 other families who were also receiving their babies. She came in with the Orphanage Director and we recognized her right away. Dan started filling out the paperwork and I held her for a few minutes. When it was time to sign papers we switched and he held her for a bit. We found out that she has been living in foster care since January 2008 and her heart condition has disappeared. She has/had an older sister that is about 10 years old. That means all the cousins will act as her big sisters and Mikayla will have to be the big, big sister. She received the care package because she was wearing the outfit and had the doll that I bought. They also told us about her daily schedule, food intake, potty breaks, play time and personality. The Director said she is quiet, introverted and does not take well to strangers. Well she sure took to Dan! He gave her his best play face and she loved it - laughs and giggles a minute. She accepts me for the time being, but is unsure. I can see it in her eyes. The meeting lasted about 15-20 minutes and we all headed back to the hotel, stopping first at the super market for formula. We had to sign a 24 hour trial agreement and will go back tomorrow for the final adoption paperwork. After spending sometime in the room, we went down to the restaurant for some lunch. Kimberly started to have a fit when I, and then Dan, tried to pick her up. Apparently, she is independent and wants to walk herself! We were told she likes steamed rice, steamed egg, congee and vegetables. We ordered some egg for her, which she really didn't take to or she may have been nervous and unsure around us. We all went upstairs and spent time together and then laid down for a nap. She was asleep in less than a minute. Around 4:30 we woke her up gently and she remembered us. Two other families were in the hotel playroom and we joined them for 30 minutes. She looked and listened to the other babies, but didn't want to leave Daddy's side. Back in the room she and Dan had a good play session which turned into some hitting and biting. We toned it down and decided to try the restaurant again for dinner - steamed rice this time. After we ordered, Dan ran up to the room to get her bottle and she was on the edge of a meltdown. I saw the tears welling up in her eyes and she was frantically rubbing her nose and eyes. When he came back she settled down and ate. Rice was a good choice; she ate almost the whole bowl! We each had hamburgers - which weren't our kind of burgers. The three of us headed back to the room for some quiet play time and a bath. She is used to two baths a day in a small basin and was not sure about a bath in the tub with us. We got through it with some fear in the eyes and a big towel to dry off followed by pajamas from Cousin Jen. Kimberly and Dan laid down on the bed about 9 with a bottle (only Kimberly) while I started some laundry. She looked at him with big eyes and was trying to process what was happening. After 10 minutes she fell asleep and has had what appears to be two bad dreams with flailing arms and shaking head. I'm sure this is part of the grieving process that we will see for the next few months. We are on the lookout for all behaviours and are confident we will all fall into a happy family unit. As behaviour goes, she is able to see and hear, follow sounds and motion, able to walk/half-run down the halls, climb on and off the bed, hold a bottle and sippy cup, play with dolls, starting to play with crayons, laugh and smile, climb stairs, stack blocks, throw a ball and lightly play the piano. Her personality will change in the coming months, but for now, she doesn't want to hold our hands, tolerates being held, lets us touch her all over and seems to be hesitant about me. She will make and hold eye contact, but didn't want Dan's glasses on his face. She babbles and seems to understand her name Qin-Qin, but I don't think has spoken any real words to us. For now, all is well and we'll see what tomorrow brings. We had some email troubles tonight but I think Dan got it fixed after she fell asleep. We have taken TONS of pictures and one day will get them posted on this blog. If not, we'll have a link to all pics at the end of this trip.